Wood chips in bark

[Fishmom]

I bought some E. B. Stone Organic orchid bark recently, and when I opened it I found numerous wood chips mixed in with the bark. Am I correct in thinking this is not a good thing? It seems as though the wood might decompose more quickly than the bark.

I have been trying to buy locally when I need supplies, but it is getting harder and harder to find what I want. I've read about repotme. com as a place to get good quality materials. What do you all think?

[FLBob]

I've never purchased anything from repotme.com but it looks as if they sell quality stuff. I'm fortunate to live in an area with a good number of good growers so I can get just about anything I need.
I like the fact that repotme sells all the components to make your own mix. That's what I do. I buy bark, sponge rock, charcoal, and alifor in various sizes and make my mix to match what I'm repotting.

[MLP]

I have purchased twice from reportme, they have a really great quality and variety of mixes - I'm not brave enough to make up my own mixes yet. the shipping is fast and they are very quick to answer any questions.

[Tarad]

Hmmm I am not sure about this as I have never seen wood chips mixed in anything that I have purchased. Tara

[digitalgate]

it might decompose faster. But it also depend on what type of wood it was from. Some wood take decades to decompose in my environment. My friend have a 6 inch by 6inch wood pillar which is one hundreds years old.

[11Orchid126]

What do you consider the difference between wood chips and bark? Bark is wood also. Fir bark is what is usually used for orchids. Wood chips is what is usually used for outdoor mulch. Are the chips large?

[Fishmom]

I assume it is fir bark with fir chips mixed in, resulting from the mechanical chipping of a slice of bark with wood attached. I'm thinking that the bark is more resistant to deterioration, since it's purpose in life is to protect the interior of the tree. Many barks, including fir bark I think, are somewhat fire resistant--not sure how that translates to decomposing. Some of the pieces are annoyingly large, but they could be broken up or used in the very bottom of a pot.

[Ron]

One would not consider "wood Chips" in a quality "Bark" orchid mix. "a good mix".

I would not worry to much, it has been use as a cheep source of "Filler" to bulk up the mix.
When I use to make my own mix years ago, it had pine bark, hard wood chips etc in it.
I ran it all thought the compost process and it was good to use.
good growing
Ron

[Hummer344]

Try Wonderbark. Its available at OSH stores in the bay area. I have used it for years and have no complaints. Its from Rod McClellan Co orchid growers. & is made in the Santa Cruz area

[Fishmom]

Thanks everyone for your interest. I will schedule a stop at OSH next time I cross the Straits, as we do not have one nearby.

[PhalPal]

I love repotme.com and buy all of my ingredients from them. I really like being able to mix and match. They will make the mix up and bag it for you as you like, or you can order scoops and mix the stuff yourself at home. I find it really fun and relaxing to make up 'recipes' and then keep track of how a certain plant is doing in it. It's also cool to get really dirty and messy with all this stuff!

They are a little pricey, but not as expensive as losing a few orchids. I have found all of their media to be the best quality I can find anywhere.

[Andrew]

How much is "numerous wood chips"? You can generally expect a few woodchips in any bag of bark from when it's stripped from the wood. If a decent proportion of the bag consists of woodchip I'd be more critical of the quality.

The amount of nitrogen drawdown in wood is much greater than in bark. For orchid bark mix contaminated with a lot of wood chips, this means that when you fertilize more of the nitrogen that should go to the plan will be sequestered by the potting mix. The wood component of the mix will also break down faster than the bark component. Whether this actually has an affect on the plants you're growing depends on how much you fertilize and how well the orchids you grow handle an aging mix. For the most part it probably won't matter. If the bag contains a large proportion of woodchips, I'd be inclined to use the bag but buy a better quality bark next time.

[Fishmom]

Interesting article, thanks for the link. My original thought was that the wood would deteriorate more quickly than bark, based on observations that bark slabs are often left remaining after the wood rots, seen in conifer forests over the years. However, that would seem to relate to the heavier nitrogen use also; faster rotting in tandem with more nitrogen consumption.

[violetta]

When I first repotted my Phals, I used bark mixed with wood chips. Due to the constant moisture in the pot, it didn't take long for fungus to appear on the wood chips.
After a few months I had to repot because fungus gnats were having parties in the pots.
So now when I notice wood chips in the mix, I just remove them.

[brit6v]

Hi,
I cannot be of any help to you as far as the potting mix you mentioned goes....I'm sorry. I am very new to growing orchids so I'm not qualified to even make a guess. I only chimed in to tell you that I have ordered from repotme several times, and I have been extremely pleased with them.....their products and fast service. They also send an e-mail to you after you are expected to have rec'd your order asking if it was delivered properly and if you are pleased (etc.)
Vicki

Originally Posted by Fishmom

I bought some E. B. Stone Organic orchid bark recently, and when I opened it I found numerous wood chips mixed in with the bark. Am I correct in thinking this is not a good thing? It seems as though the wood might decompose more quickly than the bark.

I have been trying to buy locally when I need supplies, but it is getting harder and harder to find what I want. I've read about repotme. com as a place to get good quality materials. What do you all think?

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by Fishmom

Interesting article, thanks for the link. My original thought was that the wood would deteriorate more quickly than bark, based on observations that bark slabs are often left remaining after the wood rots, seen in conifer forests over the years. However, that would seem to relate to the heavier nitrogen use also; faster rotting in tandem with more nitrogen consumption.

Fungal/bacterial decomposition of organic matter is a nitrogen hungry process. Roughly 1 molecule of nitrogen is needed for every 30 molecules of carbon used (including assimilated C and CO2 waste) by the microbes as they decompose the organic matter. No doubt the composting nuts will correct me on the specifics. This is why bark mixes usually need higher nitrogen fertilizers compared to inorganic media (ie to overcome the nitrogen requirements of the decomposing bark) and why sphagnum mixes quickly turn to sludge when you add high nitrogen fertilizers. I haveno idea why the rate of nitrogen draw down is higher for softwood than bark. Maybe its due to differences in structure or the fact the bark is weathered on the tree and often partially composted prior to use, in which case it's already partially decomposed, which slows down the nitrogen requirement.